Thursday, August 15, 2013

(Venice, Italy) It seems that every year August 15th is a glorious day here in Venice, both in terms of the weather and in spirit. Yesterday the temperature dropped, and we had strong winds and rain, as if the heavens themselves were sweeping the earth fresh and new for today, Assumption Day, the day that Mary Went Up to Heaven. Today it is sunny and warm, but not too hot, with plenty of pleasant, polite people, but not too crowded. Today Venice is just right.

"The influence of the divine female energy upon Italy -- Venice in particular -- cannot
be underestimated. Before Venice came into power, another island in the
lagoon, the island of Torcello, was settled first.

After
the fall of the western Roman Empire, a wondrous city grew up on
Torcello, which was a distant outpost of the Byzantine Empire, trading
with Constantinople. One of the most important things to know about
Venice is that it did not exist
when the empire was based in Rome. It came into existence when the
Roman empire was based in Constantinople and called the Byzantium
Empire. We can imagine that some clever, enlightened people, free from
the direct rule of an empire, built up Torcello before the emperor in
Constantinople figured out what was going on. About the same time, the
story goes, authorities from Padua founded Venice proper at Rialto on
Friday, March 25, 421 at twelve-o'clock noon. Eventually these islands
in the Venetian lagoon would become what we now know as Venice.

Torcello - Santa Maria Assunta

There
are all sorts of stories and myths about how Venice was created. I like
to believe that she -- because everyone agrees that Venice is female --
was born from divine female energy, just as a divine Mary gave birth to
the Son of God. To this day on the island of Torcello, there is a
church called the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, or the Cathedral of
the Assumption of St. Mary that was first founded in 639. Instead
of Christ over the altar, we have Mary.

The late Pope John Paul came
from Venice and startled the world when he proclaimed that 'He (God) is
our father; even more, he is our mother.' This celebration of divine female energy is something else that sets the European culture apart."

1 comment:

It seems that every year August 15th is a glorious day here in Venice, both in terms of the weather and in spirit. Yesterday the temperature dropped, and we had strong winds and rain, as if the heavens themselves were sweeping the earth fresh and new for today, Assumption Day, the day that Mary Went Up to Heaven. Today it is sunny and warm, but not too hot, with plenty of pleasant, polite people, but not too crowded. Today Venice is just right.

Find Venice Blog on Facebook

Subscribe To

TRANSLATE

Search This Blog

About Me

Award-winning author Cat Bauer (HARLEY, LIKE A PERSON; HARLEY'S NINTH - Alfred A. Knopf) has lived in Venice, Italy since 1998. She was a regular contributor to the International Herald Tribune's Italian supplement, Italy Daily, published with Corriere della Sera. Venetian Cat - Venice Blog has been featured in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine, and read in 198 countries & territories, and 160 languages. Cat Bauer is a contributing editor for LUXOS Magazine, the Venice Insider for CNN and Ninemsn, and had more than 13 million views on Google+ until Google stopped counting

International Group of Heritage Experts Write Open Letter

Venice - Too Hot to Handle

Romance Rules in Venice

NO TORTURE IN ITALY!

Italy Agrees: TORTURE IS OFFENSIVE

Giorgia Boscolo

Venice's First Female Gondolier

Giorgia Boscolo Rows into Venetian Hearts

(12 maggio 2012 - Venice, Italy)

Yesterday, I took the traghetto over to San Tomà and met Giorgia Boscola for the first time. After nearly a millenium, the exclusive male world of the gondolieri accepted a woman as one of their own in 2010. The daughter of a gondolier, Giorgia is continuing the tradition. She's vibrant and friendly, greating passengers with a warm buon giorno, which is refreshing. When I asked her how it felt to be surrounded by so many men, the mother of two said, "I grew up with them, so it is like having hundreds of uncles."

"...Boscolo has dismissed critics who have questioned whether women would be strong enough to control the large boats.

'Childbirth is much more difficult,' she said."

Luxury Made in the Veneto

Bottega Veneta

Diana and Callisto

National Gallery & National Galleries of Scotland Score Titian

Venetian Cat at the Top!

Easy Jet Top 10

Venetian Cat in Easy Jet Top 10

I'm very pleased to be one of Easy Jet Holidays Top 10 Travel blogs:
"Always at the bleeding edge of what’s happening in Venice Venetian Cat writes about the cultural goings on there, too often missed by even the most enthusiastic tourists – Musing on the curious meeting of East and West through history in Venice, Cat discusses a visiting Chinese opera at the Goldoni Theater in Venice."

Ca' Rezzonico

Ca' Rezzonico Museum of 18th Century Venice

Palazzo Mocenigo

Palazzo Mocenigo

Palazzo Mocenigo has been restored with an itinerary dedicated to the history of fragrances in Italy. Scents from the centuries waft throughout the ancient home showcasing Venetian fabric, textiles and fashion.

Cini Foundation Opens its Doors

Guided Tours

Giorgio Cini monumental complex open to visitors

Located on the Island of San Giorgio, the Giorgio Cini complex is one of my favorite places on the entire planet, full of treasures that reflect the highest qualities of mankind. On Saturdays and Sundays, the monumental complex is open to visitors from 10.00 to 16.00, every hour: guided tours in Italian: at 10, 12, 14, 16 guided tours in English or French: 11, 13, 15 During weekdays, guided tours are for groups of at least 12 people, upon reservation.

Imperial Rooms at Museo Correr

Audience Room

Imperial Rooms of the Royal Palace in Venice

My favorite Empress, the non-conformist Elisabeth ("Sissi") of Austria, actually lived in Venice for a period of time inside the Royal Palace, which is now the Museo Correr. Thanks to the Comité Français pour la Savegarde de Venise, Sissi's rooms have been restored and are now open to the public. The simple, elegant decoration of the rooms goes back to the Hapsberg period, with touches of the Napoleonic age.

SimonSeeks Recommended blog

Ca' Giustinian Biennale Headquarters

Ca' Giustinian - Biennale Headquarters

[Secret: the terrace at Ca' Giustinian is a reasonably-priced place to have lunch, or a spritz, while overlooking the Grand Canal. If the weather is not fine, inside is the L'Ombra del Leone (Shadow of the Lion). All are welcome.]